Naruko Shoukichi
|kanji = 鳴子 章吉 |roomaji = Naruko Shōkichi |alias = The Speedster of Naniwa Speedman of Naniwa Rocket Man Naruko |gender = Male |birthday = August 28 |zodiac = Virgo |bloodtype = B |height = 165 cm (5' 5"); 167 cm (5' 6") by next year's Interhigh |weight = 56 kg (123 lbs) |age = |hair = Red |eye = Red |occupation = Student Cyclist |school = Sohoku High School 1st year → 2nd year |affiliation = Sohoku High Bicycle Club |type = Sprinter All-rounder |bicycle = Pinarello red & black |manga = Ride 9 |anime = |seiyu = Fukushima Jun}} Naruko Shoukichi is a first year in high school and a member of the Sohoku High Bicycle Club. He is a sprinter cyclist from Osaka, known as "Naniwa's Speed Man." Appearance Naruko has bright red hair and sharp, red eyes. He is also considered short for his age. He is usually seen wearing his personal biking outfit-a red, black and white jacket with black tights- or Sohoku's jersey. Naruko's casual clothing usually consists of a T-shirt with a tiger on it. Personality As a sprinter, he has a competitive nature, and easily gets upset or disappointed when he is beaten in a race. He considered Imaizumi his rival, and therefore gets particularly riled up when he thinks that Imaizumi is winning. He also gets this way with his mentor, Tadakoro Jin, who he often tries to beat in sprinting. He is something of a brother figure to Onoda, whom he hangs out with often since they joined the cycling club together. Naruko is known for being "flashy;" he likes to stand out and thinks those who don't are dull. This flashiness encompasses his appearance as well as his cycling style. That's why he takes pride in being a sprinter; he thinks that the fastest is the coolest. Plot Naruko's first appearance involves him searching around Akihabara for a place to buy gunpla for his younger brothers. It is clear from the beginning that he is bold, outgoing, and somewhat rude. He likes to stand out; red is his color of choice, from his hair to his clothes to his bike. When he runs into Onoda, he says that while Onoda's bike looks boring, it is a good one because Onoda puts his trust in it. Naruko reveals that he is from Osaka (as if his accent didn't make that obvious enough), and that his family recently moved to Tokyo. He is angered when a man flicks his cigarette butt on Onoda's bicycle, so he drags Onoda into biking to catch up to the man's car. Skills and Techniques Like his mentor Tadokoro, Naruko is a speed-based sprinter who excels at cycling on flat land at a high speed. During the training camp, Kinjou replaced Naruko's handles with the standard horizontal bar to limit his sprinting. He was able to overcome that specific obstacle later on as the training camp progressed. One of his old techniques is known as the "Sprint Climb", which is when he shifts to a heavier gear and uses his lower handlebars to climb a hill like a sprinter. In order to decrease his air resistance during the sprinter battle on the first day of the Inter High, Naruko tucks his hair into his helmet, uses his racing pants to constrict his jacket, and disposes of water bottles that add extra weight to his bike; this style is known as the "Rocket Sprint Style," and is similar to that of a T.T. style. Although he is relatively weak at climbing uphill, he is capable of sprinting on a slope by shifting his body weight forwards, sitting on the front edge of his saddle, and using the lower handlebars in a new technique he calls the "Armstrong Climb." Days after the end of Interhigh, his Pinarello rode bike was given new carbon deep wheels. On the flats, a wheels' resistance to the wind is important. So, his wheels take the wind from the front to propel themselves forward. They're the ultimate wheels for a sprinter. Relationships Onoda Sakamichi Naruko met Onoda during his first visit to Akihabara. Naruko immediately recognizes Onoda as an otaku and asks him for advice about what figures to purchase. However, he ignores Onoda's advice and buys the figure that looks the coolest. He ends up being 1000 yen short and asks Onoda for a loan. Once they leave the store, Onoda thinks that Naruko is the kind of friend he would like to go to Akihabara with. Later, a man insults Onoda's mommy bike and Naruko convinces Onoda to chase the man down together on their bikes. Afterwards, like Imaizumi, Naruko suggests that Onoda should join the cycling club. As the series progresses, they become incredibly close friends and Naruko ends up as something like a brother figure to Onoda. Imaizumi Shunsuke Naruko and Imaizumi have a relationship as rivals. They are often seen competing in and outside of club activities. The two have also been referred to as a "duo", nicknamed "the redhead and the giant" by other students in the school. Initially, Imaizumi and Naruko had little regard for each other, as they were too wrapped up in their individual success. As the series progresses, they are seen together more frequently and their behavior becomes more playful than truly hostile. During the Inter High, Naruko expresses the desire to win together with the team, Imaizumi included. Tadokoro Jin Tadokoro acts as a mentor to Naruko, and Naruko often challenges Tadokoro and tries to prove that he can be faster than Tadokoro. He often calls him "old man" (ossan), a nickname which Tadokoro dislikes and responds to by calling Naruko "red head." Naruko strives to become faster than Tadokoro due to his competitive nature. Tadokoro responds in kind, doing his best not to be shown up by a first-year. Naruko and Tadokoro shared stories of their past losses during the sprinter battle on the first day of the Inter High. Those losses helped them grow stronger since they had to work hard to win. Trivia ;Likes : Bread, or rather, he likes milk. Since he wants to grow bigger, he eats a lot of calcium : Fireworks (owns his own yukata) ;Collects : Red things : Flashy things ;Talents : Setting up barbecue the right way ;Best subjects : Likes geography ;Brotherly love : Takes good care of his younger brothers : His younger brothers look up to him : He always carries candies around to give to them ;Misc * He hates to lose; when he was an elementary school student, everyone called him "Speed-eating and Speed-drinking Shou-chan" * Naruko is the only member of team Sohoku who has a Kansai accent because he is from Osaka. This accent is characterized as being both more melodic and harsh by speakers of standard Japanese. * He is very ticklish, especially around the stomach. * His family is poor in comparison to the other team members' families. * Naruko lives with his grandparents in addition to his primary family. * Naruko has four siblings (totaling five), he is the second oldest; with one older sister, a younger brother in Junior High, and two younger brothers in Elementary School. * According to an anime episode omake, Naruko runs a radio show at his school during the day and takes requests from students for songs to play. * He is said to have grown two centimeters between the current Interhigh and the previous one, making his height 167cm. Gallery Naruko.Shoukichi.full.1565240.jpg|Anime concept art. naruko1.png naruko2.png naruko onsen.png Category:Male Characters Category:Cyclists Category:Students Category:Sprinters Category:Astrological sign: Virgo Category:Blood type: B Category:Sohoku High Bicycle Club